MRS. BUSH: Thank you very much, Tim. Thank you so much. And
thanks to each and every one of you for the very warm welcome to Battle
Creek. It's my honor to stand on the stage with Tim Walberg and Sheriff
Bouchard, and to ask each and every one of you to go to the polls on
Tuesday to vote for them, to bring all of your friends and neighbors to
the polls with you to make sure they're elected on November 7th.
(Applause.)

I also want to recognize Sue Walberg and Pam Bouchard, who are here
with us today, and Betsy DeVos, whose husband is running for governor --
Dick DeVos. (Applause.)

When your spouse is in politics, you're involved whether you want
to be or not. (Laughter.) And one thing we know is that successful
politicians have families who stand with them and are with them all the
time, and certainly all three of you do that, and I want to thank you
very, very much for that. (Applause.)

Ruth Johnson is with us. She's the nominee for lieutenant
governor. (Applause.) In the crowd, I think we have Holly Hughes, the
RNC National Committeewoman, and Chuck Yob, the RNC National
Committeeman. Thank you all for joining us. (Applause.) And also, I
think Ellen Weiser is here. She's a member of the Michigan Board of
Education. Hey, Ellen, good to see you. (Applause.)

I'm delighted to be with you today to support Tim Walberg's
campaign for the United States Congress -- (applause) -- Mike Bouchard's
election to the United States Senate -- (applause) -- and Dick DeVos and
Ruth Johnson's campaign for governor. (Applause.)

These candidates care deeply about the people in your state, and in
Washington and Lansing, they'll be passionate advocates for Michigan's
families. (Applause.)

Tim Walberg will bring to Congress the principles of efficiency and
accountability that have defined his public service. (Applause.) I
like it that you all are clapping on every single line. (Applause.)
During his 16 years in the state legislature, Tim never once voted for a
tax increase. He supported 30 tax cuts. (Applause.) He co-sponsored
Proposal A, which enacted the largest property tax cut in your state's
history. (Applause.)

In Washington, Tim and Sheriff Bouchard will make sure Michigan's
tax dollars are spent wisely and responsibly. They support the
Presidential Line Item Veto, which will help eliminate unnecessary
spending from the federal budget. And Tim Walberg and Mike Bouchard
support tax cuts. (Applause.) The tax cuts that have been enacted
since President Bush took office have fueled our economy, and they've
added 6.6 million new jobs since 2003. That means 6.6 million more
Americans wake up every morning with the dignity and the sense of
purpose that comes with a job.

Dick DeVos is dedicated to creating jobs in your state. In his
hometown of Grand Rapids, Dick formed and co-chaired the Grand Action
committee, a public-private partnership that turned Grand Rapids' health
care system around and revitalized the city's downtown. Under Dick's
leadership, Grand Rapids built a sports arena, a convention center, and
a $130 million heart hospital. These projects improved the quality of
life for the Grand Rapids community, and they created thousands of new
jobs. (Applause.)

Following his years in the state legislature, Tim Walberg served as
the president of Warren Reuther Center for Education and Community
Impact. At the Center, Tim worked with employers in southeast Michigan
to give local residents -- especially students -- professional
experience, which then will help them provide for their families as they
get older. Thank you, Tim, for this important work. (Applause.)

Tim also understands the urgent need to improve Michigan's economy.
He knows that tax cuts are vital to economic growth. By working in the
State Senate to reduce Michigan's tax burden, Tim helped entrepreneurs
in his district create more jobs for his constituents. Tim has worked
hard to improve employment opportunities in southeast Michigan -- work
that Dick DeVos will continue throughout the state as governor.
(Applause.)

Offering young people the hope of good employment is one of the
most important things we can do for our children. Another way we can
help them is by steering them away from risky behavior, and guiding them
toward the knowledge and the self-respect they need to build successful
lives.

Tim Walberg and Mike Bouchard have strong records of commitment to
young people. Before his election to the Michigan House, Tim served as
a pastor for almost 10 years. He's been a role model in his community,
and he's guided Michigan youth with positive and encouraging words. As
a member of the Boy Scouts of America's District Committee, Tim helped
boys in Michigan develop the leadership skills and the character they
need to grow up to become healthy and successful men.

And Sheriff Bouchard has had a distinguished career in law
enforcement, a profession he entered to protect Michigan's young people.
As Oakland County sheriff, Mike launched the Computer Crimes Unit to
safeguard children from predators on the Internet. During his time as a
state senator, Mike served on the Education Committee, where his
leadership improved Michigan schools.

Thank you, Mike and Tim, for your commitment to Michigan's young
children. (Applause.)

We all know, though, that the well-being of young people in
Michigan and across our country ultimately depends on our government's
ability to protect them -- by defeating terrorism and increasing liberty
abroad. (Applause.) In Washington, Tim Walberg and Mike Bouchard will
be champions of the men and women of the United States military.
(Applause.)

Thanks to our troops, the Iraqi people are now free from the
oppression of Saddam Hussein, and are working to build a democratic
future. (Applause.)

And in Afghanistan, women and girls can now be educated. It's hard
for us to imagine a government that would prohibit half of its citizen
from being educated. But now, Afghanistan has a new elected government,
and little girls are in school all over Afghanistan. (Applause.)

All of us are proud of the men and women who are deployed around
the world defending our country. Every day, thousands of these men and
women risk their lives overseas to make sure that their families, and
all of our families, are kept safe here in the United States. Their
love of our country, and of liberty, never wavers, and neither does
their belief in our cause.

Many of these men and women have given their lives for this belief.
With us today is the family of a young Marine who was killed while
serving in Iraq. I've just met his parents Annette and Norman, and his
brothers Todd and Michael Nealey, and his grandmother. They lost their
grandson and brother, Lance Corporal Troy Nealey, on Sunday. Troy died
from injuries caused by enemy fire in Al Anbar Province.

Every one of us salutes Lance Corporal Nealey, and his family. And
we give Barbara, Norman, Annette, Todd, and Michael our deepest respect.
(Applause.)

Around the country, President Bush and I have met with families
who've lost a loved one, like the Nealeys. In military hospitals, we
meet with soldiers who've been wounded in combat. And from our troops
and their families, we hear the same request: that we honor the
sacrifice of these young men and women by seeing their mission through.
They ask the American people to stand with our troops. (Applause.)

Tim Walberg and Mike Bouchard stand with our troops. (Applause.)
They understand that this election is critical to the future of our
country. And they know that America faces challenges too important to
be reduced to just politics.

Ending our dependence on foreign oil, reforming our immigration
system, rebuilding the Gulf Coast, and keeping our country safe from
terrorism are not easy tasks, but they're absolutely vital goals.
(Applause.) To accomplish them, we must have serious national
conversations, conducted with civility and respect.

The right to have these conversations is part of what makes our
country great, and our democracy strong. We must be mindful that people
around the world are listening to these discussions. Responsible
candidates understand that the men and women of our military are risking
their lives for us overseas, and that we must conduct the debate here at
home in a way that does not jeopardize our troops in harm's way.
(Applause.) Tim and Mike understand their responsibility to you and to
our country. So it's so important that we stand with them during this
crucial time in our country's history.

Thanks to each and every one of you for supporting Tim Walberg,
Mike Bouchard, Dick DeVos, and Ruth Johnson. Thanks especially to all
the volunteers for your hard work making the phone calls and knocking on
the doors. You've already done so much to help Tim and Mike and Dick
and Ruth, and other great candidates in Michigan. And in the next few
days, they'll need more of your energy and enthusiasm.

We're looking forward to Election Day. This is a spirited contest,
and we've got great candidates. We've got the best grassroots
volunteers. (Applause.) Our candidates are depending on you, so be
sure to get everyone you know to the polls. Go to the phone banks,
knock on those doors, and talk to your friends and neighbors about Tim
Walberg, Mike Bouchard, Dick DeVos and Ruth Johnson, and all of
Michigan's great Republican candidates. They need your support, and our
country needs them. (Applause.)

Thank you all very, very much for coming out today. Thank you for
working hard to make sure that Tim Walberg and Mike Bouchard are elected
on November 7th. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)